English sewn record sleeve

[Roaring20s]

The very successful English advertising and book illustrator John Hassall, has one of his graphic images on this record sleeve. I tried searching Henry's gramophone and cycle store, but found nothing. The font used for "Henry's" seems to be from the 1900-10 range.

Was Henry's a large gramophone store?
What timeframe were these sewn sleeves produced?

Thanks,
James.

Some of his other images ...
https://www.google.com/search?q=john+ha ... s-wiz-serp

[epigramophone]

I write a regular series of articles on interesting record covers for the CLPGS magazine. I have seen one of these illustrated covers before, but like you I have been unable to find any background information about this dealer.
The cover probably dates from the 1920's, when many UK dealers had cardboard covers printed as a form of advertising. As the decade progressed, the sewn edges were replaced by adhesive tape, as here :

[Roaring20s]

I've never encountered the taped edge style.
I have seen many of the stitched type.

Was the one you saw, (like mine) was it from the same dealer?
This artist was well established by 1920, and it's a stretch that an individual dealer that he cannot yet find would pay to have it made. I'm assuming that the art was in the printer's arsenal of graphics.

I have not found the image on-line either. I found him by the signature.

Thanks,
James.

[Inigo]

I've seen many with paper tape, glued to both sides, generally brown or in colours (red, blue, green). There was a time when I bought many records from the UK, and have a hundred examples of these record sleeves, paper tape glued and others stitched. Certainly i had never seen before such an art piece as this, so they must not be very common... In a different style, but they remind me of Norman Rockwell...

[epigramophone]

Was the one you saw, (like mine) was it from the same dealer?

Thanks,
James.

I remembered where my cover was. Most unusually it is for a lady dealer and was filed with the few other lady dealers covers which I have, in readiness for a future CLPGS magazine article about these ladies.

[Roaring20s]

All very interesting!

I continued searching and found something on ...
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/

Here's a 1931 hit for Henry's ...

Here's a 1928 hit for Mrs. Ashley (down the street a bit at #37) ...

James.

[pumpkin]

Looks like the OCR software was having a bad day in the previous post.
I'm not too far from Croydon and know the road, there used to be a couple of record shops along that stretch in the 70's Mr Fox comes to mind.
Geographically Croydon and Hammersmith are about 10 miles apart but fun covers.

[Roaring20s]

Newsprint is not the easiest OCR scan.
Cool that you're in Croydon.
I remember during Mrs. Ashley address search, one business next to her's stated that it was directly across from a theatre. Not sure if Henry's had a theatre near it.

James.

[pumpkin]

There used to be many cinemas in Croydon , as for theaters there were probably a few small ones of this era.

Notably there was the Davies theater which closed late 50s/ about ½ mile south of this shop there is now just one large theater , the Fairfield halls.

I am surprised that the record shops thought that their sales would be boosted with a beggar / busker in their advertising !

[mrrgstuff]

I remembered where my cover was. Most unusually it is for a lady dealer and was filed with the few other lady dealers covers which I have, in readiness for a future CLPGS magazine article about these ladies.

I have the Mrs S. Ashley one too. I'm sure I have another cover with the same picture, but a different dealer, but no idea where it is!

(Just found it - It's a Henry's, so nothing different)